Thursday, January 4, 2007

 

Spotlight: Trivia may be defined as facts that are of general interest but of very little importance, but if the number of websites (check out blufr!), books and games dedicated to trivia is an indicator, it's a huge business. Trivia game shows abound on TV: Jeopardy, Hollywood Squares, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Weakest Link are among some popular examples. The board game Trivial Pursuit spawned numerous versions of the game, focusing on subjects like sports or entertainment, geared toward adults or youth. Today is national Trivia Day in the US. Bet you didn't know that!

Quote: "Every American is entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Trivia." — Trivial Pursuit advertisement

Today's News:

• Japan: scraps idea of female emperors, now that a male baby has been born to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne (story)
• 2006: saw fewest plane crashes in 43 years (story)
• Toyota: is developing a car that will refuse to drive if you're drunk (story)
• Atlantic: 14-year-old British boy skips school, crosses ocean on his own in 28-foot yacht (story)
• one-horned rhinoceros: who's stealing the second-largest land mammals in the world from a Nepali nature reserve? (story)
• Prince William: will he, won't he? the rumor mill grinds on (story)

Today's History:

• McDonald Islands: were discovered in the Indian Ocean near Antarctica (1854)
• Utah: Beehive State became No. 45 after Mormons renounced polygamy (1896)
• Great Society: Lyndon Johnson outlined his domestic policies in his State of the Union address (1965)

Today's Birthdays:

• Louis Braille: inventor of the raised-point writing system for the blind (1809-1852)
• Tom Thumb: diminutive entertainer (1838-1883)
• Don Shula: NFL coach with the most wins (77)
• Michael Stipe: frontman of R.E.M. (47)